Tuvaluan Cuisine

Being a tiny and isolated country, Tuvaluan cuisine is largely uninfluenced by any surrounding countries. Tuvalu was briefly occupied by the British, so there is some resemblance of British cuisine found in certain aspects of Tuvaluan cuisine.

Traditional foods eaten in Tuvaluan cuisine include “Pulaka”, which is similar to taro, but with roots that are more coarse and bigger leaves. Pulaka is a swamp plant, hence the nickname: “Swamp Crop”. Favorite fruits are coconut, breadfruit and bananas.

Tuvaluan cuisine is also abundant with seafood, harvested from the lagoon and ocean, and another staple protein source is pig meat, which is the main livestock raised on the island. Pork meat is usually reserved for special occasions, parties, and celebration gatherings.

Coconuts are the primary agricultural crop in Tuvalu, along with the growing of pulaka in large pits of composted soil below the water table. Pulaka is the primary source of carbohydrates in Tuvaluan cuisine. We will be presenting several traditional dishes here, but let’s start off with a seafood dish, prepared with coconut milk. Enjoy your trip to Polynesia and the little country called Tuvalu, where you can say “Tālofa,” (hello) to your scrumptious ethnic foods adventure into the world of …

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